- Corruption and weak public institutions make countries soft target for determined terror groups such as the Nigerian extremist group Boko Haram whose terror activities has so far claimed lives of 1500 people, Muslims and Christians alike. The group is looking to transform Nigeria into a hard line Islamic state.
- The group has abducted more than 250 girls who they are now threatening to sell the girls as slaves and recently burnt down a village to ground killing 300 people.
- The group’s activities draws parallels from that of Ugandan Christian sect the Lord’s Resistance Army, which kidnapped girls to be sex slaves for its soldiers and boys to be child soldiers in the 1990s.
- Despite these outrageous activities, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan had refused to acknowledge the kidnappings until prompted by international uproar. The rescue activities of the federal govt in Abuja have so far been sluggish.
- Also, reliable information in the region is scarce since the regions have been under emergency for more than a year now, following extremist activities.
- In Abuja, this has resulted in absence of accountability worsening the situation;
- Christian Association of Nigeria has published names only of the Christian girls kidnapped and said they had been sold to unclean people.
- No proper training or weaponry is being imparted to the front-line troops, who have to buy their own uniform too, despite claims of increased defence outlays.
- Read at: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/weak-institutions-easy-targets/article5999704.ece
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